Marian and I broke away from Washington on a 3-week, 3-stop trip getting home just a few days ago. The first stop was really not much about birding, stopping for 3 nights in Nashville, TN to explore a new city and state, see some music, and just have fun. The good thing was that the city is pretty cool. The bad thing was the weather was really cold, meaning 19 degrees F on the middle day.
We got in fairly late and got to our hotel. We discovered a really good vegan place in walking distance from the hotel that we enjoyed. It was a black family owned soul food place.
The next day we got up and headed for an eBird Hotspot, Shelby Park and Bottoms, where we enjoyed a nice warm beautiful morning of birding. We didn’t get a car in Nashville, so got around by Uber/Lyft and it worked well overall. The park is nice, right on the Cumberland River which is a large river. Birding highlights were a nice flock of Eastern Bluebirds, Carolina and Winter Wrens, Red-bellied Woodpecker and just a nice warm morning.

That evening we went to the Grand Old Opry where a “Dancing with the Stars” show was playing and saw lots of crazy dancing in the famous venue.
The next day on waking it was really cold, 19F, and I walked up to Centenial Park, right near the hotel to see what I could find. A Ross’s Goose has been there all winter, and it was the closest I’ve seen this species. Bluejays, N. Mockingbirds, Tufted Titmouse, and a few other species were also seen.
I took Lyft to one other place, near Tennessee State University to a marsh hoping for a lot of waterfowl and managed a moderate list, but was not dressed for the weather, and had trouble getting a Lyft back, so was out way too long.
We stayed in The Villages with Bill and Carol for 6 days. The Villages are amazing, a 200,000+ person >55 community with golf-cart accessible everything. We had a nice visit, outdoor live music, good food, etc. but Marian caught a cold/asthmatic bronchitis which kept her down for most of the trip. She managed and it was great to see Bill and Carol.

I managed a little birding, 52 species for Florida for the stop, really all in The Villages. Best birds were Limpkin and other waders.

From Orlando, where Bill and Carol took us back to a hotel by the airport on Saturday night we flew the next morning direct to San Jose, Costa Rica. Reminder to self, never fly Spirit Airlines again. Old planes, extra charges for everything including pop, snacks, a carry on bag, etc. that are far more expensive than on other airlines. Just a poor overall experience. Direct flight though.
At the Hampton Inn and Suites by the airport we had a huge flock of Crimson-fronted Parakeets by the pool as the sun set. Jean and Alan picked us up the next morning and we were off to La Fortuna and Lake Arenal where we stayed at a fancy resort, Hotel Los Lagos. It had natural hot water pools, well maintained rooms and grounds, and we relaxed mostly. The first morning we got up to go birding with a guide for about 2+ hours at a nearby birding spot, Muelle. It was reasonably birdy, and the guide was just OK. Still we has 43 species, including Olive-crowned Yellowthroat, Cinnamon Woodpecker, and Black-cowled Oriole, all lifers. I suspect with a really top guide we could have had another 20+ species.

The next morning we went before first light to a natural thermal hot river and waterfall. I slipped, had what was a frightening but non-injury fall, but it was really cool. The rest of the trip was mostly hanging by the pools, eating at good vegan places, and visiting a lot. Overall a nice way to ease into Pura Vida life.
After 3 nights there we headed to what all of us felt was the coolest stop of the trip, Finca Luna Nueva. It is an agroforestry farm, with a good restaurant, wonderful grounds, and great staff. Tom ___, the owner had 3 meals with us, and we visited his home on adjacent property one night for wine and to see the Scarlet Macaws come in to roost. Wow on both the house and the Macaws.
Our last stop was a 3+ hour drive to Monteverde, in the cloud forest around the other side of Lake Arenal. It is not really far as the bird flies, but a long windy, uphill drive. We stayed at Hotel Montaña Monteverde, where the place was a bit run down, and the grounds not terribly birdy, a bit disappointing. They did arrange for a guide though, Jorge Marin, who goes by George of the Cloud Forest. He was very enjoyable and a competent guide. On our full day we visited Stella’s Bakery, the Monteverde preserve, and the San Luis area where his abuelos live and have a farm and preserve. Overall good birding, a nice time, and a really cool area. Birding was generally hard, with many birds high in the canopy, and wind was a constant struggle. Top species for me were Three-wattled Bellbird, Resplendent Quetzal, Costa Rica Warbler, and all the hummingbirds at the Hummingbird Gallery just outside the preserve.
The next day we visited Sky Adventures, where several very high and long hanging bridges were the highlight, and we saw more Quetzals and a few other birds.
On the last day, in the morning before heading for San Jose, Jorge took us to Curi-Cancha Refugio de Vida Silvestre where we got better looks at the bellbird, and a few other species while Jean and Marian rode a golf cart to get around steep trails. A fun time and I drove us in their car to San Jose for a late lunch and to the hotel.
The trip home was long but uneventful except for getting around LAX which was a battle. Still home on time and rested up finally now.